Pipfruit New Zealand says the apple industry is harvesting some of the largest and tastiest fruit for years.
Regions such as Hawke's Bay have to go back as far as 1998 to find as good a growing season as the current one, the industry organisation says.
A warm spring followed by consistently warm summer days in the region is resulting in large, firm fruit with, it says, exceptional taste.
The 2014 crop of apples from throughout New Zealand is expected to be only slightly smaller than the record 2013 crop but the 2014 fruit will be bigger than in the past few seasons, the organisation says.
